Rating: ★★★★BBC1: date and time to be announcedStory:A chief pathologist investigates the death of a young woman in childbirth who has ties to his own family.

HERE’S A DRAMA that ticks all the boxes. It’s a crime yarn based on a novel by a literary writer, scripted by Andrew Davies, with a prestige cast, and it’s got period costumes.

Gabriel Byrne stars as Quirke, the 1950s Dublin pathologist and accidental detective who each week will, between pints in smoky pubs, investigate the lives of those who end up on his slab. Michael Gambon is his adoptive father, a rather Machiavellian judge, and Geraldine Somerville is the sister-in-law with whom he shares a past.

The opener is certainly a juicy story, involving the death of a young woman in childbirth who once worked at the home of the Quirke’s half-brother, Mal, and the murky dealings of the Catholic Church when it came to the babies of unmarried mothers.

Gabriel Byrne as the rueful hero

The early half of this 90-minute mystery is atmospheric, making noirish use of its Dublin setting without hitting the viewer over the head with all the museum pieces (oh, look, there’s an oldie worldy wireless!). That is, until the budget runs low and the action switches to Boston, where a vintage American car driving round the Irish countryside is as close as we get to the US.

Gabriel Byrne, fresh from his own sojourn Stateside in In Treatment, really looks the part of the cussed, rueful hero, treading on toes galore in his own family as he tries to discover if and how his half-brother and father are involved in the death of the young woman.

The three-parter is, of course, based on the novels of awarding-winning author John Banville (this opener is taken from Christine Falls), in the guise of his alter ego Benjamin Black, and Andrew Davies, TV’s go-to guy for high-class projects (Pride and Prejudice, Bleak House etc), has adapted it.

Atmospheric, brooding mystery

The opening story is an atmospheric, multi-layered drama that is full of strong performances. Quirke’s half-brother Mal is a snob who looks down on Quirke, who came from an orphanage. Our hero butts heads with those close to him as well as the tight-faced nuns at the Sisters of Mercy Laundry in an effort to expose a shocking crime. The air of menace from those doing God’s work is scary.

And there is a devastating piece of news for Quirke, which is sure to reverberate through remaining episodes. Still to come in this three-part series are The Silver Swan and Elegy for April.

The one reservation is that Quirke, a big prestigious BBC production, feels predictable and safe. Solid literary adaptations in period costume are a risk-free use of licence-fee payers money that hark back to the likes of Brideshead or I, Claudius.

Quirke certainly has enough quality to find a good audience, but it’s unlikely to generate the buzz of this year’s really strong TV dramas, Broadchurch and The Fall, both of which were written for television.

• Here’s Gabriel Byrne as Quirke, his leading role in the eagerly awaited BBC1 series, currently before the cameras in Ireland. The stories about a pathologist in 1950s Dublin are rich and atmospheric, but the whole series of three is just dripping with added quality. They are, of course, based on the novels of Benjamin Black (the secret identity of award-winning writer John Banville) and they’ve been adapted by Andrew Davies (Mr Selfridge, Pride and Prejudice) and Conor McPherson (The Actors). The three books that inspire these 90-minute dramas – Christine Falls, The Silver Swan and Elegy for April – promise crime stories with a lot more depth than your average procedural.

• Sherlock may have missed out in one popularity vote – last night’s National Television Awards on ITV – but it has shone in another. It came third for BBC iPlayer viewing requests in 2012 with 2.5million, behind the Olympic Opening Ceremony and just behind (believe it or not) Top Gear.

• The cast for Jonathan Creek: The Clue of the Savant’s Thumb, a 90-minute special, will see Alan Davies and Sheridan Smith joined by Joanna Lumley (Ab Fab), Sarah Alexander (Me and Mrs Jones), Nigel Planer (I Give It a Year) and Hasina Haque (Casualty). Rik Mayall will also return as DI Pyke. In this yarn, Creek and Joey investigate a secret society and seemingly supernatural goings-on at a girls’ boarding school.

• Must tip my hat to a cracking US blog The Rap Sheet, which is an entertaining exploration of crime books and TV, both classic and contemporary. It’s just cited CrimeTimePreview as one of its Blogs of the Year. J Kingston Pierce is the mastermind behind The Rap Sheet, but he has a whole mob of quality writers chipping in. Check out the site – you’ll have the crime of your life.

From period gangster stories, to serial killers, issue-driven dramas and the return of a few old favourites, 2013 has a rich selection of some terrific new crime series. Great writing from the likes of Jimmy McGovern, and compelling acting from Gillian Anderson, Gabriel Byrne, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Tennant and many others are coming our way in new dramas (Peaky Blinders, The Fall), adaptations (Quirke, Doors Open) and returning heroes – and anti-heroes (Sherlock, Luther). Watch out… Pics: BBC, ITV

Peaky BlindersCillian Murphy, Sam Neill, Helen McCrory, Charlie Creed-MilesGangster epic with a difference – it’s set in Birmingham, just after the First World War. This is based on the little known history/legend of the Peaky Blinders, so-called for their practice of keeping a razor in their cap peaks. They were a vicious bunch who ran protection, track betting and robbery. Cillian Murphy is Tommy Shelby, the most ruthless brother of the Shelby family, whose leadership is tested by a new police chief, CI Campbell, played by Sam Neill. ‘The story I want to tell is based on family legend and historical fact,’ says Steven Knight, whose previous films include Eastern Promises and Dirty Pretty Things. ‘It is a fiction woven into a factual landscape which is breathtakingly dramatic and cinematic, but which for very English reasons has been consigned to historical text books.’ Currently filming in Birmingham, Liverpool and Leeds. BBC2 2013Anticipation factor:★★★★★

QuirkeGabriel ByrneThis will be one of the most eagerly anticipated new crime dramas of the year. Based on the novels of Benjamin Black – aka award-winning Irish writer John Banville – and scripted by Andrew Davies and Conor McPherson, these three feature-length stories starring Gabriel Byrne are about the chief pathologist in the Dublin morgue during the 1950s. Smoky streets, damp allies, sexual tension, secrets and intrigue should make these dramas rich viewing. Each episode will see Quirke investigate the death of one of the unfortunate souls who end up on his mortuary slab. But as he turns accidental detective he discovers his investigations are often more closely linked to his own life than he could have imagined. Little by little he is forced to confront the sins of his past as he peels back the layers of his own tangled family history. The three feature-length episodes each take their stories from different books in the series – Christine Falls and The Silver Swan adaptedby Andrew Davies, and Elegy for April by Conor McPherson. John Banville says: ‘I am very excited by the prospect of seeing my character Quirke incarnated by Gabriel Byrne, a perfect choice for the part. I know both Quirke and Benjamin Black will be wonderfully served by Andrew Davies and Conor McPherson, two masters of their craft.’ BBC1 2013Anticipation factor:★★★★★Sherlock 3Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin FreemanCome on, with that cliffhanger we all want to see how writers Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss get out of Sherlock’s death-plunge at the end of series two. Online forums have been a-buzz with theories and analysis of Sherlock’s apparent death, but of course security around the next series is tighter than a gnat’s buttocks. Not content with tormenting fans with the cliffhanger, the dastardly writers recently suggested that the next three feature-length stories will revolve around the words rat, wedding and bow. Elementary? Hardly. But if the writing and chemistry between Holmes and Watson fizzes as it did in the previous two series, it should be terrific TV again. BBC1 2013Anticipation factor:★★★★★

EndeavourShaun Evans, Roger Allam, Sean Rigby, Abigail ThawFour 120-minute episodes have just gone into production on the back of the hugely popular one-off prequel shown earlier this year (8.2m tuned in). Oxford is, of course, the backdrop and novelist Colin Dexter, whose first Morse novel was published in 1975, will be the series consultant. ITV1 2013Anticipation factor:★★★★½

Doors OpenStephen Fry, Douglas Henshall

A self-made millionaire, an art professor and a banker come together to undertake an audacious art heist in this two-hour film based on Ian Rankin’s novel. Mike Mackenzie, played by Dougie Henshall (Collision, Primeval), is a self-made businessman with too much time on his hands. Bored by the comfort of his millions and grieving for the woman who walked out on him five years previously, he’s got an adventurous side just waiting to get him into trouble. When he hears the love of his life, Laura Stanton, art consultant and auctioneer, has returned to Edinburgh, his whole world is turned upside down and he’d risk anything to get her back. After an evening’s drinking with close friends, art expert Professor Gissing, played by Stephen Fry (Kingdom, Bones, Sherlock Holmes), and banker Allan Cruickshank, Mike dreams up a plot to rip-off one of the most high-profile targets in the country – Edinburgh’s private art collection owned by a national bank. ITV1 2012/13Anticipation factor:★★★★½RestlessHayley Atwell, Rufus Sewell, Michelle Dockery, Michael Gambon, Charlotte RamplingBased on William Boyd’s bestseller, this two-parter (2 x 90mins) is the intriguing story of a woman whose mother, one day in 1976, tells her she’s been leading a double life. She is not respectable Sally Gilmartin but in fact Eva Delectorskaya, a spy for the British Secret Service who has been on the run for 30 years. Eva’s story begins in Paris in 1939. Eva (Hayley Atwell), a beautiful Russian émigrée, is recruited for the British Secret Service by Lucas Romer (Rufus Sewell), a mysteriously alluring Englishman… Screenwriter and author, William Boyd, says, ‘To have the chance to film a novel like Restless over three hours is the sort of opportunity that only a television adaptation can provide. It represents the most enticing and alluring of possibilities – not only to tell an enthralling story of wartime espionage, love and betrayal, but also to lift the lid on one of the last secrets of the Second World War.’ BBC1 late 2012Anticipation factor:★★★★½

Luther 3Idris ElbaThis is probably maverick DCI John Luther’s last telly outing before he makes the leap to the big screen. Writer/creator Neil Cross has said, ‘The final scene of the final episode is great and we wouldn’t want to continue. I have a weakness for a powerful and moving ending. We’ll go out big and leave it at that.’ BBC1 2012/13Anticipation factor:★★★★½

CommonNo casting announced yetJimmy McGovern (Hillsborough, Dockers) doesn’t write mealy-mouthed dramas, and this 90-minute film is sure to pack a wallop. It will probe the potential for injustice within the law’s Joint Enterprise or Common Purpose rule. It starts with three young men hurrying to a parked car that has 17-year-old JohnJo at the wheel. They drive off, leaving a scene in which a stabbing has occurred at a pizza parlour. Joint Enterprise or Common Purpose, is a 300-year-old legal doctrine that allows several people to be charged with a crime where they are not the primary offenders. McGovern explains, ‘Joint Enterprise was first used in Britain’s courts a few hundred years ago. It was designed to stop the aristocracy duelling. If one duellist killed another then all involved in that duel (the seconds and the surgeons) were charged with murder. It worked. Britain’s aristocrats stopped duelling. Now the law is being used against Britain’s youth. If someone dies in a fight and you’re involved in any way whatsoever, you could find yourself charged with murder. And, if you do, heaven help you because the burden of proof required in joint enterprise cases is frighteningly low.’ BBC1 2013Anticipation factor:★★★★½

The Honourable WomanNo casting announced yetFollowing the superb The Shadow Line, writer Hugo Blick returns with this six-parter. The daughter of a UK Zionist gun-runner inherits her murdered father’s company and by dramatically inverting its purpose from supplying tanks to tractors starts a deadly political war. Blick says, ‘This is a suspenseful spy thriller about inheritance, political and personal, and the lengths some spies will go to not only to deceive their enemies – but also themselves.’ BBC2 2013Anticipation factor:★★★★

Life of CrimeHayley AtwellAn urban crime drama in three parts that follows a policewoman’s career over three decades. Hayley Atwell (The Sweeney, Captain America) plays risk-taking rookie copper Denise Woods, who becomes obsessed with tracking down the killer of a 15-year-old girl called Anna. The drama explores Denise’s career as she progresses through the Metropolitan Police. Set against the backdrop of iconic moments in British history, such as the Brixton Riots, Life of Crime follows Denise as she rises through the ranks, initially struggling in a male-orientated profession where sexism is rife and female officers must fight to be accepted. Filming in Brixton and Dublin starts in November 2012. ITV1 2013Anticipation factor:★★★★The Ice Cream GirlsLorraine Burroughs, Jodhi MayThree-part drama based on Dorothy Koomson‘s bestseller. The story follows two vulnerable teenage girls, who in the summer of 1995 are accused of murdering their schoolteacher. For 17 years the two girls are forced to go their separate ways and lead different lives. But now in 2013, they are forced to confront each other and their dark, shared history. Set in a seaside town with brightly coloured beach huts, ‘hook a duck’ and candy floss, the title of the drama The Ice Cream Girls belies the dark and violent relationship that led to that fateful night, and the truth behind the event which has comes to haunt Poppy Carlisle and Serena Gorringe’s every waking moment. ITV1 2013Anticipation factor:★★★★The Lady VanishesKeeley Hawes, Gemma Jones, Stephanie Cole, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Tuppence Middleton, Tom HughesA 90-minute thriller based on the novel The Wheel Spins by Ethel Lina White – and, of course, filmed by Alfred Hitchcock. Already in production, the story is set in 1931 – beautiful and wealthy young socialite Iris Carr (Middleton) is the heart of her social circle. While holidaying with her friends in the Balkans, Iris finds their raucous behaviour too much and resolves to find some tranquillity and travel home alone. Her expectations of peace are shortlived when she faints on the platform of the railway station in the scorching heat. She is rushed on to the train with a pounding head and a feeling of being almost in a dream. She is comforted by Miss Froy (Selina Cadell), whose tweed suit and bookish looks belie a jovial and adventurous spirit. Miss Froy talks at length about her desperation to return home to her family. Iris falls asleep and awakes to find Miss Froy has vanished and her fellow passengers denying she ever existed… BBC1 2013Anticipation factor:★★★★ShetlandDouglas HenshallTwo-part drama based on the series of novels by Ann Cleeves (author of the Vera Stanhope books, too). It’s set against the stunning backdrop of the Shetland Isles and features detective Jimmy Perez, who has returned home after a long time away. When a young archaeologist discovers a set of human remains, the island community is intrigued to know if it’s an ancient find or a contemporary mystery. And when an elderly woman is shot on her land in a tragic accident, Perez and his team find themselves at the centre of two feuding families whose envy, greed and bitterness has divided the surrounding community. BBC1 late 2012Anticipation factor:★★★★

Murder on the Home FrontPatrick Kennedy, Tamzin Merchant, James Fleet, Emerald FennellLoosely based on the memoirs of Molly Lefebure, a secretary during the war to the Home Office pathologist and pioneer of modern forensics, Keith Simpson, this could be a really interesting drama. During the Blitz there were a lot of murky goings-on as the bombs fell, with some people literally getting away with murder. The story will follow Dr Lennox Collins (Patrick Kennedy) and his secretary Molly Cooper (Tamzin Merchant) as Collins challenges his superiors and tries to uncover the truth at crime scenes by treating every bit of physical evidence as key to a breakthrough and not relying on intuition. ITV1 2013Anticipation factor:★★★★

The FallGillian Anderson, Jamie DornanPsychological thriller probing the lives of two hunters. Dornan (Once Upon a Time) plays serial killer Paul Sector, who stalks his victims in and around Belfast. Anderson (The X Files, Great Expectations) is talented Detective Superintendent Gibson on secondment from the Met, brought in to catch him. It’s written by Allan Cubitt (The Runaway, Murphy’s Law) and is described by BBC drama boss Ben Stephenson talks it up like this, ‘Cubitt’s rich and complex psychological thriller combined with another compelling performance from Gillian Anderson will keep viewers on the edge of their seats.’ BBC1 late 2012Anticipation factor:★★★★

The FollowingKevin Bacon, James Purefoy, Natalie ZeaBSkyB are calling this US import ‘terrifying’. When notorious serial killer Joe Carroll (Purefoy) escapes from death row and embarks on a new killing spree, the FBI calls former agent Ryan Hardy (Bacon), a psychologically scarred veteran who captured Carroll nine years earlier, after Carroll murdered 14 female students on a college campus where he taught literature. Knowing Carroll better than anyone and close with Carroll’s ex-wife, Claire Hardy (Natalie Zea, Justified) works closely with an FBI team, and discovers that Carroll was not only communicating with a network of killers in the outside world, but has much more planned than just a prison escape. Sky Atlantic 2013Anticipation factor:★★★★

The Spies of WarsawDavid Tennant, Janet MontgomeryThe former Doctor Who will play a French spy in this drama from writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, the men behind The Likely Lads, Porridge and Lovejoy, among others. Based on Alan Furst‘s bestselling novel, this is spy story set in Poland, Paris, London and Berlin in the years leading up to the Second World War. French and German intelligence operatives are locked in a life-and-death struggle on the espionage battlefield. At the French embassy, the new military attaché, Colonel Jean-Francois Mercier (Tennant), a decorated war hero of the 1914 war, is drawn into a world of abduction, betrayal and intrigue in the diplomatic salons and back alleys of Warsaw. At the same time, the handsome aristocrat finds himself in a passionate love affair with Anna (Montgomery), a Parisian lawyer for the League of Nations. Their complicated love affair intensifies as German tanks drive through the Black Forest. BBC4 late 2012/2013Anticipation factor:★★★★The FearPeter Mullan, Paul Nicholls, Anastasia Hille, Richard E GrantPeter Mullan (Tyrannosaur) is Brighton crime boss turned entrepreneur Richie Beckett. Harry Lloyd (Game of Thrones), Paul Nicholls (Law & Order: UK) Anastasia Hille (Snow White and the Huntsman) and Richard E Grant (The Crimson Petal & The White) also star in this four-part series written by Richard Cottan (Wallander) and directed by Michael Samuels (Any Human Heart). Pursuing his dream of rebuilding Brighton’s derelict West Pier, Richie Beckett’s hard-earned respectability is threatened by two new enemies: the encroaching Albanian mafia and an aggressive form of early onset dementia. Struggling to contain the invasion, sons Matty (Harry Lloyd) and Cal (Paul Nicholls) need a peacemaker, but Richie’s erratic and extreme behavior inflames the situation. Ch4 Dec 2012Anticipation factor:★★★★EverydayJohn Simm, Shirley HendersonAward-winning director Michael Winterbottom returns to Channel 4 with this ambitious single feature-length drama (1 x 120mins). Starring John Simm (Exile, Mad Dogs) as a prisoner and Shirley Henderson (The Crimson Petal&The White) as his wife, the drama has been filmed over five years and is a tender portrayal of one family living through a prison sentence. Ch4 Nov 2012Anticipation factor:★★★★BroadchurchDavid Tennant, Olivia Colman, Jodie Whittaker, Andrew Buchan, Stephen Turner, Arthur DarvillEight-parter from ITV focusing on a town that becomes the focus of a crime investigation and media frenzy after the body of a man, Danny Price, is found on the beach. ‘Broadchurch focuses on a small British community which finds itself at the eye of a storm. In the wake of one boy’s death, the residents of Broadchurch come under scrutiny and suspicion,’ says writer/creator Chris Chibnall (Doctor Who, Law & Order: UK). ‘It’s a story of scale and intimacy, as the lives of the characters are laid bare.’ David Tennant takes the role of DI Alec Hardy, an out-of-town, newly promoted police detective who takes the job that local girl DS Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman) believes should have been hers. ITV1 2012/13Anticipation factor: ★★★★Case Histories 2Jason Isaacs, Victoria Wood, Amanda Abbington, Millie Innes, Zawe AshtonThree 90-minutes stories adapted from Kate Atkinson‘s novel Started Early, Took My Dog, to follow-up BBC1’s well-received first series. Victoria Wood said, ‘I am a huge fan of Kate Atkinson and couldn’t resist the chance to be involved in Case Histories.’ Jason Isaacs added, ‘I can’t wait to put on the crumpled, witty, self-destructive, noble and naughty skin of Jackson Brodie again and dive into the unique flavour of Kate Atkinson’s worlds. Nobody connects the past with the present and the absurd with the heart-wrenching like she does and we all feel excited and lucky to bring another bunch of stories of damage and delight to the screen.’ BBC1 2013Anticipation factor:★★★★Secret StateGabriel Byrne, Douglas Hodge, Gina McKee, Charles Dance, Rupert GravesFour-part contemporary thriller. A massive industrial accident on Teesside leaves several people dead and raises awkward questions about the safety procedures of the US petrochemical company involved. As a man who has a profound belief in transparency and open government, Dawkins (Byrne) will have to tackle vested interests, financial, media, and military, both domestic and international, in his pursuit to uncover the truth and get justice for the families affected by the disaster. Dawkins becomes aware of establishment’s secret ties to the petrochemical company and comes to realise that there are bigger powers at play behind the scenes. Based on the novel A Very British Coup by Chris Mullins.Ch4 Nov 2012Anticipation factor:★★★★

Foyle’s WarMichael Kitchen, Honeysuckle Weeks

Three 120-minutes films by Anthony Horowitz that could have been re-titled Foyle Post-War, because the focus now shifts to a period of espionage and subterfuge in 1946-47. With many stories based on real life cases, Foyle will focus his attention on the world of espionage as he gathers secret intelligence in support of Britain’s security, defence and the Government’s foreign and economic policies. In his new role as a Senior Intelligence Officer, Foyle discovers that the British establishment is rife with communist sympathisers and traitors. In this delicately balanced period in history, Foyle will use all his intelligence, guile and intuition to keep the country safe. ITV1 2013Anticipation factor:★★★★

MaydaySophie Okonedo, Peter Firth, Aidan Gillen, Lesley ManvilleFrom the writers of Whitechapel comes this five-part thriller. A young girl goes missing on the way to a Mayday parade and the small community in which she lives comes under strain. However, behind the facade of this picture postcard idyll is a sinister other-world. Sophie Okonedo plays Fiona, a young mum determined to protect her family, who spies on a neighbour. Peter Firth plays Malcolm, a community leader married to Gail, played by Lesley Manville. Aidan Gillen plays Everett, a single father to the sensitive Linus (Max Fowler), who has fallen in love with Hattie’s twin sister Caitlin (Leila Mimmack) – who can feel it in her bones that her sister is dead. BBC1 2013Anticipation factor:★★★½

Line of Duty 2Vicky McClure, Martin CompstonCasting is not confirmed for the return to Jed Mercurio’s cat-and-mouse thriller, but the series did so well in the ratings for BBC2, hitting 4.2m viewers for its finale, that it was quickly re-commissioned. In fact, the channel honchos were so chuffed with the show that they felt it signalled new confidence and the rebirth of drama at BBC2. Line of Duty followed anti-corruption officers trying to nail Lennie James’ slippery detective, who killed himself at the end of the drama. While the story was an interesting look at corruption and the massaging of police statistics, the drama was a little OTT at times. It will be interesting to see where series two goes. BBC2 2013Anticipation factor:★★★½UtopiaPaul Higgins, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Alexandra Roach, James Fox, Geraldine JamesDescribed as an enigmatic thriller, this six-parter features a mysterious graphic novel and a shadowy unit called The Network, who will do anything to keep the novel’s origin and meaning secret. Ch4 2013Anticipation factor:★★★½SouthcliffeRory Kinnear, Sean Harris, Shirley Henderson, Eddie MarsanSouthcliffe is a fictional English town that is devastated by a spate of shootings that occur in a single day. Writer Tony Grisoni describes it like this, ‘Southcliffe is a fictional market town inhabited by fictional characters, but with similarities to many actual people and places in Britain today. Invisible people, anonymous places. The inexplicable chain of events at the dark heart of this four-part drama shatters time and space for Southcliffe’s inhabitants. Violence and sudden bereavement confronts them with emotions they are unequipped to understand. Rather than analyse or moralise about our characters’ actions, we share in them. Southcliffe is an anthem to ordinary people’s ability to reinvent themselves in the face of ultimate darkness.’ Ch4 2013Anticipation factor:★★★½

Miss Marple (three films)Julia McKenzieA Caribbean Mystery was filmed during the summer, in which Miss Marple is staying in a luxury hotel in the tropics when fellow guest Major Palgrave dies in inevitably suspicious circumstances. Also in the line-up is Endless Night and The Seven Dials Mystery, which are being made during this autumn. Julia McKenzie lacks the eccentricity of Geraldine McEwan, perhaps, but she has settled nicely into the role of the apparently sweet-natured spinster with a genius for detection. ITV1 2012/13Anticipation factor:★★★½Agatha Christie’s Poirot (five films)David SuchetDavid Suchet’s herculean feat of playing Hercule Poirot for 22 years in 65 Poirot films is nearing completion as he works on the final five Agatha Christie stories from the canon that remain to be made. In production this year have been Labours of Hercules, Dead Man’s Folly, The Big Four, Elephants Can Remember and Curtain. Watch out for the actor’s written account of his affection for the character in his new book, Poirot and Me. Here’s a clue to what’s in store: ‘He was as real to me as he had been to her, a great detective, a remarkable man, if, perhaps, just now and then, a little irritating. He had inhabited my life every bit as much as he must have done hers as she wrote 33 novels, more than 50 short stories, and a play about him – making Poirot the most famous fictional detective in the world alongside Sherlock Holmes.’ ITV1 2012/13Anticipation factor:★★★½

ComplicitDavid OyelowoThe war on terror and the use of torture are the themes of this hard-hitting 120-minute film from writer Guy Hibbert. The main character, Edward, an MI5 officer, wrestles with key moral questions, such as can we fight terror with torture? Or do we lose everything, and everything we stand for as a democratic nation, by allying ourselves with the torturers of a brutal foreign regime? Ch4 2013Anticipation factor:★★★½Whitechapel 4Rupert Penry-Jones, Phil Davies, Steve PembertonIt’s hard to see where writers Caroline Ip and Ben Court can go with this, having dredged up most of the East End’s most infamous chamber-of-horrors killers, but ITV have ordered six new episodes anyway. Series one was about Jack the Ripper, which was followed by the ghosts of the Krays and then several lesser known cases in the last series. The ratings have grown with each series, reaching seven million last time out. Laura Mackie, Director of Drama, ITV says, ‘The first full series of Whitechapel was a huge hit with the ITV audience with its unique take on the crime genre and the brilliantly original combination of Chandler, Miles and Buchan. I’m so pleased that they’re coming back to solve more historically inspired crimes.’ 2013 ITV1Anticipation factor:★★★

Death in Paradise 2Ben Miller, Sara Martins, Danny John-Jules, JameliaBritish singer-songwriter Jamelia will crop up this time round in the light-hearted mystery series set on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. Ben Miller is the fish-out-of-water British detective inspector Richard Poole, who doesn’t like the sun, sea and sand but has ended up solving murders in paradise anyway. The humour was so gentle it was almost imperceptible, but the Beeb thought it did well enough for a recall. Stephanie Beacham (Coronation Street), Michael Brandon (Dempsey & Makepeace), Kelly Adams (Hustle) and Dexter Fletcher (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) will join Jamelia among the guest stars. BBC1 2012Anticipation factor:★★½

Welcome to CrimeTimePreview‘s series of interviews with authors about their TV and reading habits.

• PETER ROBINSON is the author of the Inspector Banks novels – the fourth series of which has just started on ITV (see the post below). A multi-award-winning novelist, he was born in Yorkshire and now divides his time between Toronto and Richmond, North Yorkshire. We brought him in for questioning, and here he makes a full and frank confession of his criminal viewing and reading habits…

• ADRIAN McKINTY is one of the most acclaimed new crime writers from across the Irish Sea, routinely mentioned alongside Ken Bruen, Declan Hughes and John Connolly. His series of edgy thrillers about Catholic detective Sean Duffy and the character’s exploits while working in the none-too-comfortable surroundings of the RUC during the Troubles, and later MI5, are developing a big following and have been hugely praised by reviewers. These include The Cold Cold Ground, In the Morning I’ll Be Gone and Gun Street Girl. Here, he reveals his favourite TV shows, characters and authors…

• WE’VE dragged one of Britain’s major crime practitioners in for questioning. Multi-award-winning IAN RANKIN is the creator of Edinburgh detective inspector John Rebus, the tenacious but chippy hero of bestsellers such as Black and Blue, Fleshmarket Close and Resurrection Men. The character was turned into a series by STV with first John Hannah and then Ken Stott portraying him. ITV filmed Rankin’s standalone novel Doors Open in 2012. After retiring Rebus in Exit Music, he introduced his readers to Malcolm Fox in The Complaints, before bringing Rebus back in 2012’s Standing in Another Man’s Grave.

• Manchester-based crime writer CATH STAINCLIFFE is interrogated below for evidence of her TV viewing and reading activities. She writes the novels based on the Scott & Bailey series, which stars Lesley Sharp and Suranne Jones and is soon to return to ITV – with her latest book about the female detectives being Bleed Like Me. Cath is also the author of the Sal Kilkenny private eye stories and creator and scriptwriter of Blue Murder, which was on ITV and starred Caroline Quentin.

• Hauled in for questioning is British crime writer and Guardian reviewer LAURA WILSON, who is currently working on her 10th novel. Laura, whose books include the DI Stratton series among other mysteries set in the recent past, talks about her TV and reading habits, from Cagney & Lacey to Agatha Christie…

• ZOE SHARP wrote her first novel when she was 15. It was not until 2001, however, after she had tried her hand at jobs ranging from van driver to newspaper ad sales to motoring correspondent, that she finally publisher her breakout Charlie Fox novel Killer Instinct. Fox, the self-defence instructor with a shady military background, has proved hugely popular with readers through nine novels and has been optioned by Twentieth Century Fox TV. We brought Zoë in for questioning to see who she would like to see playing Charlie on screen, and what TV shows tick the right boxes for her…

• CrimeTimePreview apprehended SIMON KERNICK, one of Britain’s most exciting thriller writers to grill him about his viewing proclivities. He arrived on the crime scene with his acclaimed novel The Business of Dying, a terrific story about a corrupt cop who moonlights as a hitman. His authentic thrillers are basedon research with members of Special Branch, the Anti-Terrorist Branch and the Organised Crime Agency. He has just finished writing his latest book, which will be called Siege.

• SOPHIE HANNAH, whose novel The Point of Rescue was recently turned into the drama Case Sensitive by ITV1, is the author of internationally bestselling psychological thrillers – Little Face, Hurting Distance, The Other Half Lives and A Room Swept White. CrimeTimePreview recently brought her in to be questioned about her addiction to Class A plotting on television…

• Scottish author TONY BLACK, creator of Gus Dury in stories such as Gutted and Long Time Dead.

• Belfast crime writer SAM MILLAR, author of books such as The Redemption and the award-winning memoir On the Brinks.

• Crime novelist PAULINE ROWSON, author of the Marine series of mysteries, is pulled into CrimeTimePreview headquarters for questioning.

• Award-winning British novelist ANN CLEEVES is a serial crime writer, with her collections including amateur sleuths George & Molly, Inspector Ramsay, the soon-to-be-televised Vera Stanhope and the recent Shetland Island Quartet (now a BBC1 series with Douglas Henshall). CrimeTimePreview pulls her in for questioning about her TV habits…

• We brought thriller writer MATT HILTON into headquarters for questioning about his TV and reading activities.

• ALINE TEMPLETON is the author of the series of novels about DI Marjory Fleming, set in Scotland. Her stand-alone mysteries include Past Praying For, The Trumpet Shall Sound and Shades of Death. She lives in Edinburgh. She was brought into CrimeTimePreview HQ for questioning about her TV viewing habits…

• Award-winning crime author STEPHEN BOOTH has written 11 mysteries involving the detectives Ben Cooper and Diane Fry with a distinctive, sometimes menacing Peak District setting. He was a newspaper and magazine journalist for 25 years before publishing the first Cooper/Fry novel, Black Dog, in 2000. CrimeTimePreview quizzed him about his criminal viewing activities…